Devils' Krys Barch takes shot at NHL owners in Twitter rant

Krys Barch’s mix of drinks and Twitter on Saturday night gave frustrated fans a refreshing look at the NHL lockout from a player’s perspective.

The 32-year-old New Jersey Devils tough guy highlighted his concerns about the league’s work stoppage in a 26-post rant from Grand Bend, Ont.

“I wonder if the owners of Boston, New York, Washington, etc., etc., have endured any of the injuries that I or any other player in the NHL have endured,” Barch wrote on his Twitter account (@krysbarch).

“Still they probably sit [there] smoking the same brand of cigar, sipping the same cognac and going on vacation to one of five houses they own … while we sit here knowing [they] want to take 20% of our paychecks. One half to ¾ of my peers will have to work, for the next 50 years of their lives.”

Barch, who bared his soul in 140-character-or-less snippets, has two sons and his wife is pregnant with a third child.

“I haven’t been a first-round pick, bonus baby or a son of a Hall of Famer,” the Hamilton native wrote, describing himself as an NHLer in a position no different than a truck driver, farmer or [factory] line worker, who has worked for each second of his hockey service.

Barch’s agent, Scott Norton, told ESPN that the player stands by his comments.

“Krys was saying ‘This is what my heart says, I’m going to say it,” said Norton of Barch, who signed a two-year deal worth $1.5 million US contract in the summer. “I think he was certainly emotional and speaking from the heart.”

Recently, Barch also spoke out against the Ontario Hockey League’s decision to start suspending frequent fighters.

The Hamilton native has 12 goals, 31 points and 669 penalty minutes in his NHL career.